Category: Australian News

Today the Australian Government officially opened Australia’s new Embassy in Bern, Switzerland.

The opening of the Embassy by the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell marks a significant milestone in Australia’s relationship with Switzerland and demonstrates the importance we place on deepening our engagement with the Swiss Government and people.

In 2021 Switzerland was Australia’s 11th largest source of investment with the total stock of Swiss investment in Australia valued at over $69 billion, Switzerland was also Australia’s 19th largest two-way trading partner.

Australia’s presence in Switzerland now includes the Embassy in Bern, the Austrade Office in Zurich and Australia’s Permanent Mission and Consulate-General in Geneva.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong said:

“Our partnership with Switzerland dates back over 60 years, and the opening of the Bern embassy is a testament to our enduring relationship and close cooperation.”

“We build on this cooperation to respond to global challenges while deepening our combined efforts on strategic, economic, security and consular issues.

“I appreciate the support of the Government of Switzerland for Australia’s expanded presence.”

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell sid:

“I was honoured to be in Bern to officially open the Australian Embassy to Switzerland.”

“This Embassy will work to expand our already strong trade and investment ties with Switzerland, further building our partnerships in business, research and development, and innovation, including increased cooperation on climate action.”

H.E. Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, H.E. Mr. HAMADA Yasukazu, Minister of Defence of Japan, the Hon. Richard Marles MP, the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, held the Tenth Japan-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations on 9 December 2022 in Tokyo. The consultations, in a timely manner, reaffirmed the ambitious vision set at the October 2022 Leaders’ Meeting, including in the Joint Statement and Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation (JDSC).

We reaffirmed that our Special Strategic Partnership only grows stronger. Japan and Australia are united by our shared values, including an unwavering commitment to democracy, human rights, free trade and a rules-based international order.

Recognising our shared views on the changing regional and global environment, expressed by our leaders’ Joint Statement in October 2022, we today focused on expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation in line with the JDSC.

We underscored the importance of our respective alliances and our trilateral cooperation with the United States, including through the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue, which underpins peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. We reaffirmed our deep strategic alignment as we commit to our respective major reviews of security strategy and policies. We will continuously ensure our systems enhance our communication and consultations based on paragraph 6 of the JDSC.

We reaffirmed our commitment to realise a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, that is inclusive and resilient, where sovereignty and international law, including universal human rights, are upheld.

We underscored our commitment to work with partners to realise this vision including with India and the United States under frameworks such as the Quad.

We welcomed the following actions:

• continuing effective and practical cooperation in the Pacific, including working within established Pacific architecture such as the Pacific Islands Forum, to address the needs and priorities of Pacific island countries, including through:
  • collaboration on explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
  • deepened collaboration to support the Pacific’s infrastructure, connectivity and maritime security needs
  • enhanced coordination between our Pacific missions, including with Japan’s new missions in Kiribati and New Caledonia
  • delivering tangible outcomes through Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP)
  • collaboration between the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Export Finance Australia (EFA) to provide credit guarantees for EFA’s financing to Telstra to support its acquisition of Digicel Pacific
  • coordinating efforts to enhance water security in the Marshall Islands and other small island states
  • tackling oil spill risks from World War II wrecks in Chuuk Lagoon, Federated States of Micronesia
  • supporting increased maritime security capacity in Samoa
  • Australia’s support for the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) in Samoa, which was established with a partnership among Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Japan and New Zealand
• mutually reinforcing our respective enhanced approaches to Southeast Asia, and working together towards mutually decided priorities with ASEAN and Southeast Asian partners, including economic, development, security cooperation and the energy transition
• progressing commitments to deepen security and defence cooperation, and build greater interoperability, building on the Reciprocal Access Agreement once it enters into force, including:
  • deepening security and defence cooperation and advancing discussions on the scope, objectives and forms of our enhanced operational cooperation between the Japan Self Defense Forces and the Australian Defence Force to build greater interoperability
  • expanding air-to-air refueling pairings between the Japan Air Self Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force aircraft
  • committing to unit exchanges and more complex exercises, including accelerating the consideration of:
    • manoeuvre deployment training of Japan’s F-35s with an eye to future rotational deployment of Japan’s fighters including F-35s in Australia while welcoming Royal Australian Air Force F-35s coming to Japan next year for the first time to participate in Exercise Bushido Guardian
    • enhancing the complexity of Japan Self Defense Forces’ participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre
    • options to conduct submarine search and rescue training between the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy
    • amphibious operations, exercises and guided weapon live-fire drills
  • enhancing cooperation on strategic capabilities, including long-range guided weapons, Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and Under Sea Warfare (USW)
  • bolstering trilateral cooperation with the United States, including to:
    • increase training opportunities with the U.S. Forces in northern Australia
    • leverage the asset protection framework
    • enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to develop a common foundation for optimised and agile operational cooperation
    • promote the participation of the Australian Defence Force in Japan-U.S. bilateral exercises and the participation of the Japan Self Defense Forces in U.S.-Australia bilateral exercises. Particularly, to support the Australian Defence Force participation in Exercise Yama Sakura in 2023
• elevating defence equipment, science and technology and industry cooperation in various ways, including to:
  • finalise research, development, test and evaluation arrangement to conduct defence science and technology cooperation more smoothly
  • enhance defence science and technology collaboration in autonomous systems across all domains
  • explore opportunities for joint research, co-development and production of advanced defence capabilities
  • support policy dialogues on resilient supply chains, which is a shared challenge for Japan and Australia
  • dispatch an Australian defence industry trade mission to Japan in 2023 to build industry resilience and cooperation
• continuing close cooperation to strengthen economic security and address economic coercion, including through the interagency communication and other initiatives with like-minded partners
• committing to continued communication and cooperation on cyber-security and cyber resilience, including:
  • enhancing cooperation including through the next Japan-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue
  • supporting cyber capacity uplift in the Indo-Pacific through joint learning and coordination
  • cooperation in the multilateral area
  • working with partners in the Indo-Pacific on defence-related cyber security
  • enhanced defence cyber cooperation through joint participation in NATO Exercise Locked Shields in 2023
• enhancing space cooperation following Japan-Australia Letter of Intent concerning a defence space partnership signed in November 2022
• increasing information sharing and coordination on our respective development assistance policies and between agencies and missions in the region
• enhancing information sharing and exchanging views on information security.

The Australian Government is imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions on 13 individuals and two entities involved in egregious human rights violations and abuses.

Among them are Iran’s Morality Police, the Basij Resistance Force and six Iranian individuals, involved in the violent crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa ‘Jina’ Amini and the continued oppression of the people of Iran.

Seven Russian individuals involved in the attempted assassination of former opposition leader Alexei Navalny will also have human rights sanctions imposed on them.

These sanctions target grievous human rights situations where the perpetrators continue to act with impunity.

The listings demonstrate the Australian Government’s commitment to take clear action to assert our values, and to hold perpetrators of serious human rights violations and abuses to account.

In addition to human rights sanctions, Australia is joining partners to announce further targeted financial sanctions on three Iranian individuals and one business involved in the supply of drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.

Russia is using Iranian-made drones to target civilians and critical infrastructure, with the intention of denying Ukrainian people energy, heating and water as they face freezing winter temperatures.

The supply of drones to Russia is evidence of the role Iran plays in destabilising global security. This listing highlights that those who provide material support to Russia will face consequences.

The Australian Government calls on countries to exert their influence on Russia to end its illegal, immoral war.

Australia stands with the people of Ukraine and with the people of Iran.

We employ every strategy at our disposal towards upholding human rights – ranging from dialogue and diplomacy to sanctions – consistent with our values and our interests.

The Albanese Government’s approach is to deal with the world as it is, and seek to shape it for the better.

For further information on Australia’s sanctions frameworks, please visit: Sanctions regimes

The Albanese Government is partnering with States and Territories to shield Australian families and businesses from the worst impacts of predicted energy price spikes.

The Government’s Energy Price Relief Plan will:

1. Take action to limit gas prices.
2. Take action to limit coal prices.
3. Provide targeted energy bill relief for households and businesses.
4. Invest in cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy for the future.

We are experiencing sustained and unprecedented pressure on global energy markets. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is pushing energy prices to historic highs all over the world.

In Australia, that’s made worse by nearly a decade of division, inaction and policy uncertainty on climate and energy under the Liberals and Nationals.

The urgent action we are taking with the Energy Price Relief Plan will shield Australians from the worst impacts of price increases, delivering responsible and targeted relief to families, small businesses and manufacturers.

The plan is responsible, targeted and temporary.

It is designed to provide all Australians with a buffer in unprecedented times.

This coordinated national approach continues the Albanese Government’s strong record of working constructively with States and Territories to address problems facing all Australians. It ensures that jurisdictions play their critical role in easing energy market pressures.

In today’s meeting of National Cabinet, the Prime Minister and First Ministers agreed to:

Temporary cap on the price of gas and other measures

Tackling high gas prices by the Commonwealth introducing a 12-month emergency gas price cap, to be set at $12 per gigajoule on new wholesale gas sales by east coast producers subject to consultation; introducing a mandatory code of conduct for the wholesale gas market that includes a reasonable pricing provision, accelerating the introduction of the AGDSM; and boosting resources for the ACCC for implementation, monitoring and enforcement.

Temporary cap on the price of coal

The New South Wales and Queensland Governments are taking action by effectively setting ceilings for the price of coal used for electricity generation to $125 a tonne, with the Commonwealth to contribute to costs.

Impact of these actions

The reality is that due to global circumstances and a decade of energy policy mismanagement, Australians will continue to still see high energy prices for some time.

The average family would be $230 worse off next year if we do not take action with the Energy Price Relief Plan.

Combined, these gas and coal measures are estimated to:

• Dampen predicted gas price increases by two percentage points in 2022-23 and 16 percentage points in 2023-24.
• Reduce the impact of forecast electricity price increases of 36 per cent in 2023-24 by 13 percentage points, preventing a $230 increase that the average Australian household would have seen if these actions were not taken.
• Reduce expected inflation in 2023-24 by around an estimated half percentage point.

Targeted Energy Bill Assistance

The Commonwealth Government will partner with States and Territories to deliver targeted and temporary relief on power bills to eligible Australian households and small businesses that are customers of electricity retailers.

The Commonwealth will establish an Energy Bill Relief Fund with up to $1.5 billion to deliver relief directly to electricity bills.

Commonwealth support will be contingent on the relevant State or Territory matching funding on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

This targeted and temporary support will provide hundreds of dollars of additional bill relief to eligible Australian families and small businesses and help shield them from the worst impacts of rising global energy prices.

National Cabinet agreed to finalise the design and delivery of the energy bill relief based on the following principles:

• Bill relief will be jointly funded between the Commonwealth and relevant State or Territory on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
• Contributions will constitute additional support above and beyond any existing or announced schemes.
• Bill relief will be targeted to households receiving income support, pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders, Family Tax Benefit A and B recipients and to small business customers of electricity retailers.
• Relief be provided as a credit directly on recipients’ power bills.

It is expected that the final details and funding arrangements will be settled by National Cabinet by March 2023.

Investing for a renewable future

Beyond these immediate measures, the Prime Minister and First Ministers reinforced the commitment made by Energy Ministers at the meeting of 8 December, to implement the long overdue Capacity Investment Scheme.

This Scheme will unlock around $10 billion of private and public sector investment in clean, dispatchable storage and generation to ensure reliable and affordable electricity supply and reduce our exposure to high coal and gas prices over the medium and long term.

Over nine years of denial and delay under the previous government, Australia’s National Energy Market saw a decline of 3GW of dispatchable power, or enough to power over two million homes.

Firmed renewables are the cheapest form of energy. The current coal and gas price crisis makes that reality even more stark. Rewiring the Nation and the Capacity Investment Scheme will drive investment in Australia’s future as a renewable energy superpower.

Governments around the country are working together to provide relief to families, businesses, and manufacturers, along with longer term measures that increase capacity and reliability for renewable energy.

The Albanese Government will always stand up for Australian families, workers and businesses, and the Energy Price Relief Plan will do just that.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We are taking urgent action to shield Australian families and businesses from the worst of these energy price spikes.

“We are working hand-in-hand with our State and Territory partners to find the best outcomes for all Australians; keeping Australians in work, keeping industry going, and making sure that families and businesses can pay their bills.”

The Greens say the Federal Government’s plan to fast-track interns into classrooms would further entrench education inequality while doing very little to solve the teacher shortage crisis in our public schools.

Greens spokesperson on schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“A decades-long bipartisan commitment to the privatisation of education has driven thousands of passionate, experienced teachers out of the public school system.

“Instead of trying to encourage these skilled educators back into the classroom the government is proposing to fast-track non-teachers into schools.

“Not only will this place additional burden on current teachers to support these unprepared trainees, it will lower the overall quality of education in the public system, further entrenching the already-yawning gap between the richest and poorest students.

“There are no shortcuts to saving public education in Australia. The government should be encouraging good teachers back into the classroom by properly funding public education. That means better salaries, lower student-teacher ratios and world-class equipment and infrastructure.

“In a speech today, Education Minister Jason Clare said, ‘I don’t want us to be a country where your chances in life depend on who your parents are.’

“I couldn’t agree more. But if Minister Clare’s solution to the crisis in public education is filling classrooms with unprepared teachers and increasing workloads then he’s doing nothing to change that.”

A Greens-initiated Senate Inquiry into the fisheries quota system has recommended an ACCC inquiry into market concentration and potential abuses of market power in the Australian fisheries and the seafood sector.

Australia’s fisheries management system is set out under the Fisheries Management Act 1991 and the Fisheries Administration Act 1991 and promotes the use of Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ) which assign access rights and ownership over fishery stocks. 

The inquiry held hearings over nearly 18 months and collected information on whether ITQs result in good fishing practices. Of particular focus was how the decades-old ITQ system affects community fishers, whether it disempowers small fishers and benefits large interest groups, and whether the system is ecologically sustainable.

Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said: 

“The Greens welcome the release of this important report. This has been one of only two parliamentary inquiries in the last 40 years to scrutinise who actually owns our fishery resources, and if the system is working fairly for the Australian public and fishing communities. 

“The evidence clearly shows that many in the fishing industry don’t feel the current system is working for them, and the Greens believe this report demonstrates a significant opportunity for reform. 

“One of the most damning revelations from this inquiry is that in Australia we do not know who ultimately owns the right to our fishery resources across multiple fisheries – and frankly this is simply not good enough. 

“The committee heard evidence that the fisheries management system is stacked in favour of big quota owners and foreign investors who don’t even fish, while hundreds of smaller fishers are struggling to make a living, or even access fishing rights. 

“I find it disturbing that there is no real transparency on who these big quota owners are, how much profit they are making from buying and trading our fish stocks, or what economic benefits the Australian public is receiving from the commercial owners of their fish stocks.

“The Senate committee received confidential submissions alleging market power abuses, and has recommended the ACCC conduct a broad inquiry into market concentration and potential abuses of market power across the sector, and I implore the Government to respond to this recommendation with urgency. 

“While fisheries quotas were in-part brought in to control overfishing, over half the fishers who made submissions to the inquiry believe the system has had a negative impact on sustainability. Similarly, expert evidence to the Committee revealed more focus was needed on the environmental impacts of fishing and climate change. 

“These are all important findings, and the Greens will be working in both federal and state parliaments to see this inquiry’s recommendations implemented.

The Greens have made additional comments to the Senate Inquiry report. Our key recommendations include: 

• Full transparency on the ultimate beneficial ownership of Commonwealth fisheries quota, so bans or restrictions can be placed on foreign investment in Australian ITQs, as has occurred in New Zealand and other countries. The Greens would also like to see similar restrictions put in place to ban or limit ‘non-fisher’ investment in ITQs (e.g.: by professional investors), such as has happened in countries like Iceland and Canada.
• Make more fishing quota available for smaller and lease fishers, by for example by Governments buying back quota from foreign and other investors, pooling then leasing to local communities at competitive rates, helping maximise economic returns to those communities.
• The Fisheries Managements acts should be amended to give equal weighting to environmental objectives, and safeguarded by having AFMA’s processes properly accredited and subjected to performance review by both the fisheries and environment ministers, as recommended by the 2012 Borthwick Review.
• New public reporting requirements for standardised profitability metrics in ITQ fisheries, including effective subsidies or any royalty payments (rents) paid in Commonwealth ITQ fisheries. This would help guide government policy making to achieve maximum economic returns for the Australian people.

Responding to the Albanese Government’s response to the ‘Samuel Review’ released today, Australian Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“We need immediate action, action must include climate action and stopping the destruction of native forests and habitat. Sadly, this package does not deliver on these points, but the Greens are willing to work with the government to fix it.

“The Greens welcome this long-awaited response to the biggest review of Australia’s environment laws in a decade. The Albanese Government is moving in the right direction. However, the government lacks any sense of urgency to halt and reverse the unsustainable environmental trajectory Professor Samuel described in his report.

“The Greens will not be rubber stamping this legislative reform and will be pushing the Albanese Government to go harder and faster to protect our environment.

“There is nothing in this package to save our iconic koala. There is nothing in this package to protect our native forests. There is no climate trigger, indeed there is very little to address the impact of the climate crisis on the environment at all. The Minister also retains far too much power to influence environmental approvals with no truly independent cop-on-the-beat.

“The timeframe for reform is far too long, and does not future-proof our environment laws. The Regional Planning trials will run until 2028, leaving Australia’s most high-value environmental areas and the wildlife that call them home without protection for years, and well into future election cycles.

“The Albanese Government has missed an opportunity to protect critical habitat right now with a moratorium on land clearing. It remains unclear how the Government will deliver on its zero new extinctions pledge while land clearing is allowed to continue.

“The Albanese Government has missed an opportunity to announce it will establish a ‘Climate Trigger’ to guarantee the emissions from a polluting project are considered in environmental assessments. Without a climate trigger, Australia’s environment laws will remain unfit for the crisis we are in. 

“The Greens consider the package of reforms announced by the Environment Minister to be a floor when it comes to strengthening environment laws, not a ceiling. We will continue to push for an urgent moratorium on clearing of critical habitat, an end to native forest logging and a climate trigger. We will also work to improve the proposed EPA so that it is a true cop-on-the-beat, not just an excuse for the government when it makes unpopular decisions.”

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Kerri Hartland as the new Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.

Ms Hartland served as Deputy Director-General of ASIO from 2011 to 2017 and has continued to work with the national intelligence community as a consultant, as Chair of the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator Audit and Risk Committees, Special Advisor to Fintel Alliance, and as a member of the National Security College Futures Council.

At a time when Australia’s external environment is being reshaped, the work of ASIS is critical to defending our interests and keeping Australians safe.

Ms Hartland will bring excellent strategic, operational and people leadership to her new role, having served as the Secretary of the Department of Employment, Small and Family Business from 2017 to 2020, and as Deputy Secretary of Human Services from 2006 to 2011.

We sincerely thank outgoing Director-General, Mr Paul Symon AO, for his leadership of ASIS over five years.

Mr Symon’s career has been one of service to Australia. He has contributed with distinction in senior Defence and intelligence roles both domestically and internationally

We have greatly valued his experience, integrity and counsel and wish him and his family well.

Ms Hartland will commence her new appointment on 20 February 2023.

Kerri Hartland said:

“I am incredibly honoured to be appointed as the 13th Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.

“With an increasingly complex geostrategic landscape, intelligence will continue to be critical to securing Australia’s safety, prosperity and sovereignty.

“To lead an organisation that so significantly contributes to Australia’s national security is a true privilege.”

Greens Treasury spokesperson, Senator Nick McKim, has responded to the release today by the ABS of the September National Accounts.

“2022 has been a great year for the robber barons.

“The top 3 quarters on record for profits’ share of national income have all been in 2022.

“The June quarter was the highest on record, September the second, and March the third (seasonally adjusted).

“In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, corporate Australia has made off like bandits.

“Corporate profiteering has been a domestic driver of inflation, not the imaginary wage pressures that the RBA speaks of.

“In fact, 2022 may well end up being the worst year on record for workers.

“Wages share of national income was the 5th lowest on record in March, the lowest on record in June, and the 8th lowest in September.

“If Jim Chalmers thinks today’s national accounts are a solid performance then he needs a wake up call.

“Our economic system is broken.

“The government needs to acknowledge this and start taking some serious steps to address spiralling inequality.

“We need tax reform that hits speculators and the wealthy.

“We need to tax corporate super profits to rein in profiteering and help slow inflation.

“We need to abandon the Stage 3 tax cuts for the ultra wealthy.

“We need to get rid of negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount to stop housing costs yo-yoing up and down in response to interest rates.

“Then we can fund genuine cost-of-living relief for those who need it.”

The Greens say the Federal Government’s plan to fast-track interns into classrooms would further entrench education inequality while doing very little to solve the teacher shortage crisis in our public schools.

Greens spokesperson on schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“A decades-long bipartisan commitment to the privatisation of education has driven thousands of passionate, experienced teachers out of the public school system.

“Instead of trying to encourage these skilled educators back into the classroom the government is proposing to fast-track non-teachers into schools.

“Not only will this place additional burden on current teachers to support these unprepared trainees, it will lower the overall quality of education in the public system, further entrenching the already-yawning gap between the richest and poorest students.

“There are no shortcuts to saving public education in Australia. The government should be encouraging good teachers back into the classroom by properly funding public education. That means better salaries, lower student-teacher ratios and world-class equipment and infrastructure.

“In a speech today, Education Minister Jason Clare said, ‘I don’t want us to be a country where your chances in life depend on who your parents are.’

“I couldn’t agree more. But if Minister Clare’s solution to the crisis in public education is filling classrooms with unprepared teachers and increasing workloads then he’s doing nothing to change that.”